


Colorful

by Chiyala (Shiningangel), Selenba



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 09:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11552028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiningangel/pseuds/Chiyala, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenba/pseuds/Selenba
Summary: Everyone is colorblind by default until they meet and kiss their destined soul mate.





	Colorful

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Gratsu Week 2017 for the prompt "power outage".
> 
> Fanfic by Chiyala and fanart by Selenba.
> 
> We hope you enjoy <3

Natsu sighed as his head slumped down onto the wooden desk. He was tired. So tired of everything.

He had neither slept nor eaten well in the past few days, yet he was not hungry. His stomach was almost constantly cramped to a point it hurt to even sit upright. He'd settled for a somewhat acceptable half-bent position that still allowed him to work but prevented him from seeing even the tip of Gray's hair behind both of their monitors.

Better that way, really. Sadly, Natsu couldn't drown Gray out completely. The clattering of his keyboard and the occasional phone calls reminded him painfully of his presence. When either of them had to get up in search for the next file or to bring a file to their boss, Natsu didn't even dare looking in the direction of his... co-worker.

That was what they were, right? Merely co-workers. All the trust they'd built in the past few years, the slowly building romance between them in the past few months—now it all seemed like a cruel joke to Natsu.

Not for the first time he asked himself how fate could be this heartless. Why did it have to be now? Why couldn't Gray have found his soul mate earlier? Before Natsu had fallen head over heels for his annoying frie—co-worker.

It had been difficult enough to accept that Gray's soul mate wasn't him, but then Gray had gone and betrayed his trust on top of that. Instead of telling Natsu directly, he'd said nothing. A few days ago, their boss, Mirajane Strauss, had made an announcement that she wanted to invite the whole division to a party to celebrate 'Mr. Fullbuster's completion'. Everybody had cheered and congratulated him while Natsu's world had tilted.

Complete. Gray was complete and Natsu wasn't.

Like so many times over the past days, Natsu felt his eyes water. Gray was typing rapidly, thus there was a low risk he'd be getting up soon. Nobody would see if Natsu gave in to his tears, so he let them fall.

It was said that a bond between soul mates was established when the younger one was born, though nobody had solid proof of that theory yet. Everyone was colorblind by default until they met _and_ kissed their destined soul mate. A kiss completed the bond and, with it, the two people involved.

Since there were only a few cases all over the world where a soul mate was rejected, incomplete people were considered a risk by their employers. The danger that they'd move to wherever their soul mate was living was high, which in most cases entailed quitting their job.

They had been equals in their fight for promotion—until a few days back. Naturally, in the light of the newest revelation, the one who was going to be promoted was Gray. Apparently, his soul mate lived in the same city, making the ever-present uncertainty if he was going to quit his job obsolete. Not so with Natsu.

Only when one of his tears dripped onto Natsu's pants was he snapped out of his thoughts. It was time to stop crying or else Gray _would_ notice.

He used a tissue to wipe his desk and face, then straightened himself and got back to work. Concentrating on other things worked wonders, even if only for a short time.

***

"Did you cry?"

Natsu started, his head snapping to the door where Mrs. Strauss stood, her brows creased.

"Wha-what? Why would I?"

Her lips tugged into an understanding smile. She looked left and right, then stepped into the office and closed the door behind her. Had she sent Gray away to fetch some files because she wanted to be alone with Natsu?

"I know your personal life is none of my business, but since it's starting to affect your work, I wanted offer my support. You are free to refuse, but I really do want to help if I can."

She raised an eyebrow, inviting Natsu to answer.

He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. People who could see color noticed the strangest things. Natsu often wondered if there was something written on people's skin with color which the incomplete people couldn't see. Like now for example, he imagined the word "heartbroken" written all over his forehead. It was ridiculous of course. There was no way such a thing could be kept secret from a big part of the population.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Mrs. Strauss eyed him silently for another few heartbeats, but when he didn't speak up anymore, she nodded and turned to leave.

"Let me know if you change your mind."

***

_'No wonder she noticed. My eyes are a little puffy. They're probably "red" as well.'_

Natsu leaned down and splashed some water into his face. Though incomplete people couldn't see it, it was common knowledge that skin turned 'red' under some circumstances, crying and bringing it in contact with cold water only being some examples.

He looked back up into the mirror, but the only thing that had changed were the water droplets that clung to his skin and strands. The mid-grey of his face and around his eyes was still the same. Was it enough to cover up the color of his eyes already? For good measure, Natsu repeated the process three more times before he dried his face. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the restroom, fake smile already in place.

Gray lifted his head when Natsu entered the room, as he always did. Natsu didn't pay him any heed at first, but then Gray said his name. The soft tone made it impossible not to look at him, but Natsu immediately wished he hadn't. Gray's eyes were sad, no hint of his usual glint. His face was hard and could be mistaken for emotionless by a stranger, but Natsu knew better. When there was no hint of sneer in Gray's face while Natsu was around, something was wrong.

_'Sneer...? Thinking of which, why hasn't he made fun of me yet for being incomplete? The Gray I know would rub it in.'_

That was just the way the two of them were. They meant no harm, but they couldn't seem to get over their rivalry, no matter how close they'd become. Though, to be fair, neither of them had ever made fun of the other when he was in misery. So Gray had to know what was wrong with Natsu.

_'Of course he knows. I wasn't even trying to keep my attempts at flirting subtle, but neither was he... No, he wasn't flirting. He couldn't have been. And even if he was, his intention was merely fooling around.'_

"Natsu? Are you okay?"

Startled at the waving hand right in front of his eyes, Natsu nearly staggered backwards against the door. He regained balance just in time, but his knees felt weak.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

Natsu didn't dare look into Gray's eyes again as he pushed through. He decided to call it a day, not caring that he hadn't fulfilled his working hours yet. He'd just stay a little longer on another day.

He could feel Gray's gaze on him as he packed his stuff and shut the PC down. Gray was still standing at the door when Natsu was about to leave.

"Will you go home already?"

Forcing his face into a smile one last time for the day, Natsu looked straight into Gray's dark eyes.

"Yeah. See ya on Monday, have a nice weekend."

But Gray didn't move aside.

"You're in my way. Move."

"Natsu... I'm... I want to talk with you."

Why did he look so sad? Sympathy was the last thing Natsu needed.

He straightened. "I'm about to go home. I'm sure it can wait until Monday."

Without waiting for Gray's answer, Natsu opened the door a slit, just barely managing to squeeze through. He closed the door and rushed to the elevator, relieved as the doors opened a few seconds later.

"Natsu! Wait!"

_'No. Close quicker, come on!'_

Gray arrived a split second before the elevator door was shut and managed to get a hand in the slit. As he stepped inside, Natsu was tempted to take the stairs instead, but that would only make it even more obvious that he was avoiding his colleague. And anyway, the ride was only going to be twenty seconds, tops—if nobody else stopped the elevator on their way down.

Gray hadn't even brought his bag. If Natsu just kept heading home, Gray would have to give up and go back to their office eventually.

Ignoring Gray wasn't exactly the most mature thing Natsu could do, but the alternative seemed worse. Neither were the type to talk about feelings, and Natsu felt foolish for mistaking Gray's actions for flirting. There was nothing to talk about. Everything they could say they already knew.

As the doors closed, the air suddenly felt too thick to breathe. Gray was standing a few steps away, facing him, breathing a little harder from the run. The elevator jerked into motion. Natsu blinked rapidly to fight the wetness in the eyes, trying desperately to concentrate on anything that wasn't Gray-related, although the effort proved futile when he was _right there_.

Gray took a tentative step forward. He started to whisper something that sounded an awful lot like 'I'm sorry', but in a sudden burst of uneasiness—or stupidity, rather—Natsu blurted out, "Congratulations! On your... you know, your bonding. Congrats."

Before Gray had the chance to answer, the lights went out and the elevator braked abruptly, making Natsu lose his balance and stagger backwards against the mirror. A _thump_ from where Gray had stood indicated that he wasn't standing anymore either.

"Shit. Natsu, you okay?"

"I... think so... what happened?"

"Probably a power outage. The lights are out, the elevator stopped without opening the doors. I think we're stuck in here until the power's back on."

Natsu had only a second before panic took over his body. He slumped down the last bit to the floor, clutching his heart.

The next words Gray said didn't register with Natsu. Imagining being caught in there forever, with the walls slowly coming closer, suffocating him, took up all of his thoughts, sped up his heart and caused his breath to hitch. He was dizzy, that much he realized despite the darkness. Gray's voice gained volume and urgency, no longer coming from a meter away but from right before him.

Next thing Natsu knew, Gray's hands fumbled for his face and then something soft and warm pressed against his parted lips. He wanted to push Gray away, snap at him that he almost couldn't breathe even without Gray hindering him, but when his hands met the obstacle that separated him from the much-needed air, he froze.

It was Gray's head, and judging from the angle, the part that was currently sealing Natsu's lips... was Gray's mouth.

It was a kiss.

Gray was _kissing_ him.

Gray was kissing _him_.

Why would he do that? He had a soul mate, and yet he was kissing _Natsu_. Didn't he care that he was cheating on his significant other?

Gray pulled back. Natsu gasped for air as soon as he could, head spinning and heart thumping for an entirely different reason now.

Gray's next words were only a whisper, but this time Natsu paid close attention.

"I realize this is a bit sudden... especially after what happened this week, but this is why I wanted to talk with you. My soul mate... was a lie."

The words echoed in Natsu's mind several times before he understood what they meant. A lie. Gray was still incomplete. He hadn't betrayed anyone by kissing Natsu. There was still a chance that they were soul mates.

"I didn't mean to lie. It was something I said when I was out drinking with Lyon. It was a drunken joke, but he took it too seriously. I never thought he'd pull through and take matters in his own hand. He probably thought I was just too afraid. I was as shocked as you when Mrs. Strauss congratulated me in front of everyone, but I didn't have the courage to tell her that Lyon lied for my sake. He just wanted to help me win the battle for promotion. I never told him about my feelings for you, so he didn't know how much trouble he'd cause. I'm so sorry. I should've told you sooner."

Natsu could swear his heart missed a beat at the words 'my feelings for you'. Oh how he wished he could see Gray's face, but everything was pitch black. The words had been spoken softly, apologetically. Natsu had never heard Gray's voice so fragile.

When Natsu opened his mouth to speak, he noticed there was a big lump in his throat. When he couldn't get a word out even after swallowing, he reached out for Gray instead. His hands found Gray's collar and yanked him in for another kiss. Their mouths collided clumsily as Gray lost his balance, but they aligned quickly.

When their lips parted, Natsu resisted the urge to pull Gray back in with difficulty. He was sure his actions spoke for themselves, but he _needed_ to tell Gray he felt the same.

Just then the lights flickered back on and the elevator jerked back into motion.

Natsu had to close his eyes due to the sudden brightness for a moment. A sudden trepidation overcame him.

_'Light. Complete people say you can see color only if there's enough light. Now there is light. When I open my eyes now and nothing has changed... no, stop. I can't keep my eyes closed for fear of rejection. I'll have to open them eventually. Best get it over with.'_

He heard Gray gasp and wondered if that was a good or a bad sign. Ever so slowly, Natsu opened only his right eye, and the first and only thing he saw was Gray's hair. His heart sunk. It was black. Exactly the same as before. He closed his eye again, covering his face with both hands.

It would have been too good to be true. If they decided to be together anyway, this would only be another temporary relationship bound to fail. Natsu knew from experience that something like this wasn't going to go well, so he would have to reject Gray despite his feelings.

"Natsu. Open your eyes."

The voice was so close. So full of astonishment. Delighted. Why would he be delighted?

Swallowing heavily, Natsu gathered his courage and opened both eyes at once and found himself staring right into Gray's face. Which was... not light gray anymore, but... _different_. Gray's irises were also different, and they were _stunningly beautiful_. Even more so than before. Natsu was fascinated.

"Your eyes... which color are they?" Natsu asked.

Said eyes softened at the question. "Blue. My mother called it 'midnight blue'. She always said it's a very beautiful color."

"It is."

_'Blue. Midnight blue. This is going to be my favorite color.'_

Natsu crouched down so that he could see Gray's eyes from a different angle, mesmerized by how the reflection of the light changed the brightness of the color.

Gray chuckled softly. "We arrived. Let's get you out of this monster and talk somewhere else."

_'Monster? Does he mean the elevator? Holy shit, I completely forgot about that! He helped me... probably prevented a blackout.'_

He let Gray pull him to his feet and together they stepped outside. Natsu was overwhelmed by all the different colors that flooded his senses. The yard around the building was exceptionally beautiful with all its flowers and plants, never mind the _sky_. Wow. He couldn't possibly have imagined that the world could be this... well, colorful. He would need to broaden his vocabulary to fully describe the beauty of what he saw, needed to learn the names of each color.

A light squeeze of his hand made him realize that Gray hadn't let go of it.

"Beautiful."

Natsu nodded in agreement, thinking that Gray was talking about their surroundings, but when his gaze shifted to his side, he noted that Gray was staring at him.

"What's the color of your hair called?" Gray asked, confirming Natsu's suspicion that he'd been complimenting Natsu.

"Pink. My dad used to say it's a girlish color, but my mother said that's bullshit."

Gray nodded, his eyes sparkling with delight.

"And your eye color?"

"Green. My father said green is green, but my mother insisted that this is _olive green_."

Without a warning, Gray pulled Natsu into a tight hug.

"I already like pink and olive green."

This time Natsu had no chance fighting the tears.

_'My soul mate. My everything. Please don't ever let go.'_

__

**Author's Note:**

> **Do not repost / reupload the fanart or the fanfic.**
> 
> Please leave kudos & a comment if you liked our work :)
> 
> If you wish to support us further: you can reblog [this](http://chiyala.tumblr.com/post/163188914342/colorful) tumblr post.


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